The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-28
a WESTERN STORY.
The Narrow Escape of Sol Taylor from

SAID OI1 Dol LAY VI StLONu, Nol.,
tbe other day, and now I'm bit over 90.
You can figger that up and see how long
I've been slzirmishing with Indians, grizzlies,
panthers. rattlesnailes and the other peslfy
varmints of mountain, plain and prairie
There hasn't been an Indian war for the last
bolf century that haven't had a hand in.
and reckon I've had as many stand-un
fights on my own hook as any scout or hun
FER YOU can name. | have been captured
and put to the torture twice, and been cap
h1red and got away without torture three or
four times. In times of peace | have lived
with the Pawnees, Kiowas, Apaches, Sioux.
ChoyenneS and Blackfeet, and in times of
war have fought all these tribes Mebbe
am, therefore, purity good judge of In
dian natur', and when you ask me which
tribe of redskins has the most honor / re-
DIV that | never yet saw an Indian whom |
would trust a rod. The only reason that
some of 'em have served the government as
scouts and traitors is because they happened
to hate their own kind just then a little
wuss than they did the white man. How
ever. you want some of my own adven-
cures, and l viii give you one
Before the days of railroads in the West
a man who was spilin' for an Indian fight
could get it within rifle shot of Fort Kear-
new. and this state of affairs continued I'D
to 1866 and later. The last time was cap
tured was or the Smoky Hill fork of the
Kansas river, and it was while the railroad
was being pushed across the State of Kan
sas A railroad through the Indian coun-
try meant good-by to game and good-by to
che Indian. The redskin realized this as
torcibly as the white man, and he was on
hand to fight the progress of the road. He
was foolish enough to suppose that the kill
iny off of a few scouts and surveyors would
stop all work, and by the time the road was
half way across the State of Kansas every
Indian who had any patriotism about him
was in front of it and doing battle. The
contractors had to employ a great many
scouts and fighters to protect the advance
men, and | was one Of those thus engaged.
In the five months of my employment |
killed thirty-nine Indians and brought
thirty-nine scalpS to camp, and there were
other scouts who did as well, or better We
did not lose near as many men in proper
ton, as we fought entirely on the defensive,
and had all the advantages.
Nv capture occurred one morning in Sep
bember. One of the engineers of the road
had been on a spree, and while Verging on
delirium tremens had left camp and wan
dercd off. He had been gone two or three
hours before he was missed, and at mid
night of a rainy, gusty night six of us
started out on foot to hunt him up AS no
one knew the direction he had taken, each of
us went his own way. There were plenty of
Indians around us and a scout had been
wounded that afternoon within half a mile
Of our camp. Each man of us who went out
took big chances of being captured, but
there was no hesitating or hanging back on
that account. Our camp was close to the
river, and my first move was to cross the
stream. The water was no more than waist
deep and l had no trouble in reaching the
other bank. The engineer, whose name was
Sewell, had gone off in his shirt and trou-
sers and boots. He was bareheaded, out of
his senses, and had no weapon of any sort
My only hope in finding him was that he
would become exhausted before going far,
and sit down.
Once across the stream, | held to the north
for about mile, and then turned to the left
and kept on until l had described quarter
of a circle and come to the river again. l
then went back to the starting point and
bore to the right, and it was while on my
way to the river that four Indians suddenly
rose up from the grass at my feet and seized
me. | can't say that was off my guard,
but it did seem bit queer to me as | thought
it over afterward that | should have let the
skunks get such an advantage of me. |
could see fairly well for 20 feet or more
around me, but the fellows Rugged the earth
so closely, and l happened to walk so
straight into the trap, that | was done for
before | knew what was going one. Not
yell was uttered-not a word spoken. Two
of them tripped me up, and the other two
piled on to me and disaTmed me, and in less
than a minute my arms were ierlled behind
ne and made fast, and away we went to the
northwest on trot. This was maintained
tor about a mile, when we came upon
party of fifty mounted redskins, and in the
midst of them | found Sewell He was
PROSTATE with exhaustion and fear, and
when l spoke to him, which act the Indians
seemed rather to encourage, he began cry
ing and sobbing like a child. | was lifted
up behind a warrior and off we went at
gallop, riding to the west and keeping close
TO the river until we had made at least fif-
teen miles Then we came upon an Indian
village as it was growing daylight.
My feelings during the ride were any
thing but agreeable, ! can assure you. The
fact that | was not killed at the moment of
my capture had significance which well
understood. | was just as certain TO go to the
stake for torture as | remained a prisoner,
and did aheap of thinking III hopes to get a
plan for escape. Mounted behind an In
dian, my arms tied so tightly that | was
constant sufferer, and obliged to keep my
balance by the use of my legs alone, there
was no earthly show for me to carry out any
scheme Sewell was mounted on the horse
just ahead OF me, and his conduct went far
to distress and unnerve me. He kept up
constant lamentiOn, and was continually be
seeching me not to let the Indians harm him.
Drink had lost its effect or him, and to come
out of his spell and find himself in the hands
OF the relentless redskins had taken all the
pluck out of him. He was doing the very
worst thing he could have done, for heard
the indians goating over the prospect when
ne should come to tho stake. There was
considerable hurrah when we rode into the
village, and had / not been able to under
atand a word of the dialect, the looks and
actions of the Indians would have been suf-
hclent to tell me what fate they intended to
mete out to us. Sewcll was placed i'll one
lodge and | in another, and the war party
were soon engaged with breakfast 1t was
not yet fully daylight when | was pulled off
tae horse, and therefore | had not yet been
recognized. l was pretty generally known
% all the tribes, and they had named me
The Long Death" | got the name by kill
ing some Of them with rifle which knocked
them over when they supposed themselves
tar beyond range. Ny only hope was that
no one in the crowd would be able to iden
MY me, as I had lately had my hair cut
close and my whskers entirely removed,
out daylight had only come when three war
Flois looked in ON me, gave start OF sur
prise, and one Of them called at the top
Of his voice:
ut Is Tho Long Death. We have got
MIN at last. Here is TIE white hunter who
aa5 kllled so many of our people"